The Fox of the East Part I
by The-Bull-Moose
Summary: A new male Vice-Commander comes to Ooarai Academy. Miho x OC. Some Lemons and limes. Third-wheel Yukari
1. Chapter 1: The First Match

The story begins three months after Ooarai defeated Selection University and the subsequent decision to make Ooarai a fully co-ed school. While the school did change, few males attended the academy, making up only 10 percent of the student body. However, Miho Nishizumi received word that a new Vice-Commander would be arriving soon from one of the boys schools in America. She decided not to inform Saori about until the day before he arrived because she'd never shut up about it for the next few weeks if she did.

Time skip…

The new Vice-Commander stood near the front of the ship, his short, wavy hair blowing with the wind. He was quite excited to finally visit Japan. After becoming fluent in German, he moved on to study Japanese as he knew he would move there four years ahead of time. He decided he'd also pick a new name as he doubted his peers could pronounce his previous one. His new name was Takashi Kitsune and he was leaving the States for Japan to report to Ooarai Academy as its new Vice-Commander.

He had lived in Germany before to receive his training in Tankery under his relatives, all prestigious Tank commanders with top marks for great constitution under leadership. As the sixth cousin of Erwin Rommel, his talent was astonishing, yet not surprising. In fact, by the age of sixteen, he had only lost two battles during his six year tenure in Germany. He was going to do just fine.

Time skip…

It was around noon when he arrived at Ooarai, a cold breeze of December flew freely. 'I'll never get used to the damned cold in these countries. I sure do miss Texas', he thought, almost out loud. He reached the student council office as soon as he could to procure his schedule and receive further information on his new position. It was Anzu who greeted him first, looking up at the American who towered over her petite figure.

"Hi, how was your trip? Are you excited to attend your new school?", she asked, seeming quite curious.

"It went fine, thank you. I'm Takashi Kitsune and I look forward to have a great time at this wonderful school. So, when do I meet my new tankery team? I'm excited to meet them."

Momo then stepped forward, motioning him to follow. As they walked around the school for a tour, Momo told him about his new position as Vice-Commander and informed him that his Tiger I will arrive in two months time and he'll be joining Anglerfish team until then. They arrived at the garage where Miho, Yukari, Hana, and Saori were waiting. Momo took her leave and left him to meet the team. Miho noticed and began to feel nervous, as this was her first male classmate. She took a moment to take in his features. He was clearly taller than any other high school student she had met, even Nonna, standing at around 174cm (5'8.5") tall. He had a quite slender, yet muscular build at 59 kg (132lbs) with wavy, dark blonde hair which was kept short, and a defined jaw. He was definetly not the most attractive boy around but his most striking feature, his piercing green eyes with a light brown ring around the middle made up for his shortcomings, at least to her they did. As she was met with a confused look, she realized she was staring and began to blush. He noticed of course but it didn't matter.

"I-It's nice t-to meet you. My name is Miho Nishizumi and I'm the Tankery commander here." He then smiled and her blush faded as he introduced himself to Miho and her friends and informed them of his capabilities, including his foreign language skills.

"Well, lets see what you can do. You'll join hippo team in Caesar's place and try to play against us. They're over there in the Stug III."

"Sounds great. Good luck to you!"

Time skip…

A few minutes later, Miho climbed into the Panzer IV, preparing the practice match. Saori noticed Miho's behavior earlier and sure enough asked, "You like him, don't you? I saw the way you looked at him, you were staring for a long while".

"Um, well yeah. I…", Miho said, flustered by Saori's question. Hana chuckled from her station, already knowing Miho's answer. Yukari on the other hand, was not amused, as she had a crush on Miho herself. So, she kept quiet. Saori then said, "So, do y-". At that time, Chono called on the radio informing them that the match would begin imminently.

Meanwhile…

Takashi and Hippo team were ready in the Stug III, with him in command.

"Match start!"

The two tanks advanced from opposite sides of the battlefield with the Stug reaching a hill, a forest underneath it. As planned, Takashi and Erwin jumped out of the tank and set up a decoy Stug III to sit at the top of the hill. The decoy was concealed but still visible enough for Hana to spot it. They then returned to the tank and went in neutral down the hill to the rear of the forest and took up position in the tree line with camouflage. A few minutes passed until the Panzer IV showed up and presumably spotted the decoy. Fortunately for Hippo team, they took the bait. Immediately after Hana fired, Erwin hit the Panzer IV on its side armor, disabling it. They won!

Time skip…

It had been one month and Takashi solidified his place as Vice-Commander of Ooarai Academy and formed a strong friendship with his Anglerfish team mates, especially Miho. Takashi was ready to face Pravda for the first time at the practice match the following week. Unfortunately, Yukari was quite ill and Miho decided to take her place as loader and allowed Takashi to command the Panzer IV while she still commanded the entire team.

It was severely cold at Pravda as usual and the ground was packed with snow. But he was still happy to see his cousin, Nonna. The four commanders stepped out of the tanks and met at the middle. Takashi was met with a scowl from Katyusha, probably jealous of his height.

"Oh. A new Vice-Commander, I see. I'm sure he'll make it all the more easy for us to win. Right Nonna?"

"Right."

Takashi simply replied in Russian, "Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, Katyusha".

Nonna chuckled a little bit, joking in Russian.

"Stop speaking Russian!", Katyusha bellowed.

The conversation was interrupted by the judges, who were eager to get the match started.

Time skip…

"Match start!"

The engines roared as the tanks sped off towards the enemy. Takashi and Miho studied the map on the way, looking for the perfect spot. A few minutes later, shots began to ring out, Hana promptly taking out a T-34 and another.

The battle raged on for an hour with Anglerfish locked in a high speed pursuit of Pravda's flag tank. In order to get a better view, Takashi opened the hatch and commanded "heads up" with his body sticking out of the turret. The chase went on for quite a while, until Katyusha's tank took a sharp turn leading, Anglerfish directly in front of Nonna's JS2. Nonna fired, giving no time to react. The round hit the turret, sending pieces of metal flying everywhere. Miho then heard a loud thud, finding Takashi on the floor of the tank unconscious, bleeding from his neck and right shoulder. Hana immediately put pressure on the wound and sat him on her lap, tears welling up in her eyes. Saori then contacted the officials to end the match and get him to the hospital. At the same time, Mako gunned the engine, heading back to the start line as fast as possible. When they reached the officials, all three girls lifted him out of the tank and on to the strecher. Takashi was losing blood fast and was airlifted to the hospital. Hana and Saori went with them while Miho stayed to calm down everyone at the now ended match. His cousin, Nonna was overcome with guilt, blaming herself and losing her composure, breaking down into tears. Even Katyusha was visibly shaken by this.

Three hours later…

After several hours, all harmful metal fragments were removed from his body yet he was still unconscious and in critical condition. Saori took Hana to the bathroom to clean his blood from her hands and clothes. Nonna and Miho arrived later on as fast as they could, both worried and scared. For three days, he didn't stir. His condition improved to stable but he still didn't wake up. On the fourth day, Yukari arrived at the hospital, feeling much better from her previous illness. None of them had much sleep at all, far too scared to sleep. On the fifth day, still nothing. They began to fear for the worst. That night, the girls finally succumbed to fatigue and drifted into a deep sleep. On the sixth day,as Miho feared he would die, she discussed with her friends that if he lives, she will confess her feelings for him. Later that day, Miho's mother, accompanied by Maho, arrived at the hospital to attempt to bring Miho back home but to no avail. At early mourning on the seventh day, Takashi finally awoke. Upon seeing him awake, Miho was overcome with joy and relief, crying and burying her head into his chest, waking up everyone else in the proccess. He was however, in a daze, only speaking his native language (English). As a result, Nonna was needed to translate since she was the only one who speaks English.


	2. Chapter 2: The Awakening

A few hours later, Takashi came out of his daze and could now speak freely. Hana then nudged Miho, reminding her of her promise. Miho stood up, asking everyone to clear the room. They complied, leaving the two of them alone.

Takashi looked puzzled. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Miho's heart sank. "I-I made a promise to everyone once we began to fear you'd die ...that if you lived I would tell you...I love you."

After her confession, his piercing green eyes locked eyes with her and he began to smile. He then grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and smashing his lips to hers.

"Miho. I love you too...so much."

"Miho, does this mean I'm your boyfriend now?"

"I'd hope so. You just kissed me before even bringing me to dinner."

They both shared a nice laugh before settling down.

For several minutes she simply laid with him as he held her. They soon drifted off to sleep. Hana went back into the room to check on them. The peaceful sight brought a smile to her face for the first time in a week.

On the following day, everyone was forced to leave except for Nonna, who was the only relative. Nonna felt so guilty since then. She needed to apologise.

She then breaks the silence and addresses him in English. "Takashi, I know I almost killed you and it would have been my fault. But, please don't hate me for it. I beg you. Forgive me please."

"Nonna, you're all I have left. I would never hate you. Even if I were to die, I would forgive you, no matter what."

Nonna proceeds to hug her younger cousin tight, tears streaming from her eyes. Time skip...

For the next week, Takashi recovered in the hospital and was released a few days later. However, he still needed to stay at home to rest and heal up. Miho visited him every day to help him with the pain. Saori and Yukari also cooked for him occasionally, Hana brought flowers, Anzu brought dried potatoes, and Mako...came over and slept. Takashi attempted to get them to not worry about him so much, but was unsuccessful. Despite his protests, Miho also canceled the next two practice matches, one of which was against Kuromorimine.

Two days later…

Miho was busy cleaning my wounds with alcohol when we heard a knock on the door. It's Maho and Shiho, strangely.

Shiho pulls the cancellation paper from her pocket and asks, "What's the meaning of this? I only allowed you to fight Selection University so you could face Kuromorimine again".

"Well, he is my Vice-Commander and I can't just leave him", Miho protested.

"You don't need him. Find another Vice-Commander", countered Maho.

"Yes, I do need him. He's my friend. I love him! I shall not cast him out".

"I see. He better be worth the effort. You're going to introduce him to me at some point. Just, not while he's in this state".

With that, they both left the house.

Miho returned to his side, finishing the bandages and giving him a soft kiss on the forehead before leaving to go home.


	3. Chapter 3: An Akward Moment

Takashi and Miho peered out of their respective tanks, binoculars in hand. They both took a moment to survey the battlefield as it raged on. It was a match between two compound teams: Pravda and Kuromorimine, versus Saunders and St. Gloriana. It would be a great match, yes but the winner was quite obvious. Even though they were spectators, it was still great practice to assess the battle from afar and make predictions.

It had been several months since Takashi's injury, his wounds healed up nicely and he was back to it. A large scar on his right shoulder and a thin horizontal strip of white hair on the left side of his head remained (some of his hair was singed off by pieces of burning debris).

His beloved Tiger I arrived from overseas, making a powerful addition to Ooarai's arsenal. As for the crew, he had some friends from Germany who mentioned wanting to move Japan to further pursue Tankery. So he contacted them and put through transfers for them to Ooarai. His gunner was Astrid, his cousin Natalia was his driver, his loader was his friend, Erik, and his supremely loquacious friend, Natascha was the radio operator.

A few minutes later…

The battle continued on; this was a slugfest. Waves upon waves of tanks were knocked out. There was no end in sight. It went on for so long, yet out of nowhere it ended; Maho's Tiger took out Kay's flag tank from 2000m away.

Miho and Takashi sat in the grass for awhile with their crews, talking about the details of the match. Takashi's was reading a map when he felt a tug on his arm from Miho. She then led him behind the Tiger, away from prying eyes.

"Since we're going to move in together soon, we should practice this more often", she whispered into Takashi ear.

She began to kiss him fervently and wrapped her arms around him quickly. Too quickly. He cringed in pain, leaning against the tank. She had touched the scar on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you! Please forgive me."

"Just be more careful, please". His voice was stern but he couldn't stay mad at her. It took a few moments for him to regain his composure. "Okay. Lets try this again."

He walked up to his girlfriend and locked eyes with her. Miho's heart skipped a beat as he approached her. They began to kiss with great intensity, his hands sliding down to her amazing ass. She yelps with pleasure as he smacks it, feeling herself getting wetter by the moment.

Meanwhile…

'They've been gone for awhile. Maybe I should go check on them', Yukari thought. "Where have y- ? Whoa!"

Yukari say both of them making out intensely, their hands exploring one another's bodies. They both stopped once they heard her scream, looking flustered and embarrassed. The three of them walked back to their mates without saying a word. Yukari was quite upset although she didn't show it. 'That should be me with Miho, not him. Perhaps I need to...make some changes to this situation', she thought.


	4. Chapter 4: A Night to Remember

Three hours later…

They were back at Ooarai Academy that night. Both of them were dead tired. They decided to both stay at Takashi's house over the weekend, with him carrying the sleeping Mako to her home on the way there. When they arrived, Miho immediately fell asleep on Takashi's double bed after lying on it. Takashi felt hungry and started cooking dinner in the cast iron pot on the stove. It was Miho's favorite dish from Europe: chicken paprika with noodles.

Three hours later, Miho awoke to the smell of the now-finished meal and the sound of Italian music which she'd never heard before. She got up and walked to the bar stool at the kitchen and sat down. He brought her a bowl and sat next to her, kissing her on the forehead as he settled in. A wide smile came across her face as she ate. She was delighted by the taste of her meal.

"Oh, thank you so much. I don't know how long it has been since I've had this. You're the best", said Miho.

"Oh, stop stating the obvious", he said, in a playful tone.

She chuckled for a moment. "Maybe that's why I love you so much. I promise I'll repay you for this", she said, grabbing his thigh and looking into his piercing green eyes.

'Wow, she's not nearly as innocent as she was a few months ago', he thought.

"Help me do the dishes, will ya?" They proceeded to clean the kitchen and stow away the spare food in the fridge.

After dinner, Miho took him into the bedroom, feeling him up and kissing him. She got on her knees and unhooked his belt and pants, revealing his 17cm (7in) cock. Her eyes grew wide. "My god, you're huge!", she exclaimed, grasping it tight. For awhile she just teased him, stroking and playing with it until she was ready. In one motion, Miho took his entire length into her mouth and began violently bobbing her head up and down, sucking and smacking on his member. He could tell she had good practice with a dildo, just for him. This went on for a full minute until he held her head down onto his cock, releasing into her mouth.

"That was amazing".

He let go of her and allowed her to clean herself up, taking a shower and brushing her teeth.

After she finished her shower, they sat down in the living room and watched a movie. She didn't last very long and fell asleep halfway through the film. As he was quite tired too, he scooped up Miho bridal style and brought her to bed. Miho then snuggled up to him as she slept. The two laid together in harmony until morning.


	5. Chapter 5: The Letter

Flashback…

It was yet another of Yukari's 'reconnaissance' missions to Pravda. However, this was for a different purpose; this was for machinations of higher importance for Yukari...even higher than tankery. Both her teammates and Pravda would be none the wiser.

Yukari crept through the air vent, as quiet as ever. She'd been here before so the little commander's room was easy to find. She was not there.

'Perfect', Yukari thought.

She slips in as quietly as possible and leaves a note on Katyusha's nightstand, slipping out immediately afterwards, totally undetected.

A few minutes later, Katyusha entered her room and sat on the side of her bed. She had just gotten off the phone with Miho, regarding the details of the upcoming friendly match. Her crewmember, Yukari was sick and she wasn't feeling too well herself, so she would act as a loader in her tank and the new vice-commander would command the tank. With that said, she would still jointly lead Ooarai's team alongside him.

Katyusha then spots an envelope on her nightstand and picks it up.

The back of the envelope reads:

Katyusha,

Read the note inside and ponder on its words. Burn it and the envelope after you do so.

She opened it and took out the letter.

It reads:

"In order to repeat history during war, face an opponent ignorant of his allies' history." - A friend

She did exactly what the letter instructed her to do: she burned both items in her fireplace and proceeded to think about what the letter said.

'Hmm. That's it. I'll use the same tactic that was used on my team. He'll never suspect it since he's unaware of what happened last year: I'll lure him straight to Nonna. I'll create a maze of buildings and road blocks. She'll be waiting close to a corner. Nonna rarely misses anyway, but it's best to not take chances. He'll be crying about how badly he lost after tomorrow'.

As Yukari returns home, she thinks to herself: 'Miho was getting far too close to that boy. He was ruining her chances with her and he had to go. He would die in a simple accident during a match, just as planned. No investigation needed. Just an accident partly due to his "heads up" style of tank commanding.'


	6. Chapter 6: Der Besuch

Takashi wakes up the next morning in a pool of sweat from a nightmare which he cannot remember. Miho is gone, his head is in pain and he feels very sick, his insides burning terribly. He can hardly move. Seeing no point in doing anything else, he shuts his eyes and drifts off to a deep sleep.

As Miho nears the door to the Nishzumi house she takes out her phone and dials a number.

"Yukari can you take some soup to Takashi for me? He seems pretty sick and I'm worried about him."

"Of course I can", said Yukari.

"Thank you so much. What can I do to repay you?"

"Come over to my house for dinner?"

"Uh, sure Yukari. I'll be there at 20:00. I've gotta go. See you then."

Yukari leaned back in her chair and thought to herself, 'looks like this is a good opportunity to see my plan through. It'd have been a lot easier if he had just died at the match like he was supposed to. Oh well'.

Takashi woke up again two hours later to a knocking on the door, now able to move freely. He got up slowly and answered it. It was Yukari, carrying a bento.

"Hi, Takashi. Miho asked me to bring this to you. She's visiting her mother right now."

"You're a life-saver, Yukari. Thank you and please come in."

Yukari returned his smile, taking a moment to inspect him. He looked awful and pretty sick, but better than Miho described him to be.

Yukari walked in, setting the bento on the table and sat down. She inspected the two meals, as if making sure which one is which before nervously letting go of one of them so he could take it. Takashi saw this and grew suspicious, but elected to not say anything.

When he received the bowl in his hand he noticed it was quite heavy, almost as if lead was dropped in it. He then looked at Yukari, who seemed to grow pale. That's when it hit him...Yukari put mercury in it...a lot of it.

Yukari became very nervous, a cold sweat running down her back.

Takashi leaned back, pushing the bowl away from him. He then looked at her in the eyes and said "I guess those gangster movies were right."

Yukari became confused and asked "how so?"

"Your killer comes with a smiling face."

Yukari's eyes widened as she drew her knife.

At that moment, Takashi threw the table aside and lunged forward at her, grabbing her by the neck, making her drop the knife.

Yukari fought back, kneeing him in the kidney as hard as she could, causing him to lose his grasp on her. Takashi recoiled for a second before grappling her again, this time throwing her bodily against the wall.

He began choking her again on the floor, gaining the upper hand. Yukari desperately swung at him, trying to find a week spot. She then reached around his arm, scraping his scarred shoulder. He let go of Yukari, screaming in pain before falling on his back.

Seeing an opportunity, Yukari picked up her knife and ran over to him. She jumped on top of him with his chest between her legs and stabbed him twice, his body going limp.

Overcome with guilt, Yukari began to cry, burying her face in her friend's lifeless chest and kissing him on his cheek and forehead repeatedly.

"I know it. I'm awful and selfish. I wanted Miho all for myself. I love you, but I love Miho more. And you just got in the way. I'm sorry."

After looking back at him one last time, Yukari left his house with tears in her eyes.

Takashi woke up 2 hours later and crawled over to his phone, pressing the first speed dial button he could reach.

Hana picked up her phone, hearing Takashi's groans of pain and begs for help, asking her to come alone.

Hana ran outside, jumping on her bike and heading towards Takashi's house.

She burst through the door, finding Takashi leaning against the wall. She looked around the room. 'There was quite a fight here and whoever he fought definitely almost lost', she thought.

She then ran over to him and hugged her friend, seeing the bandages and medical kit lying around him.

"Takashi what happened to you?"

"Yukari. She tried to kill me with mercury."

"What!? There's no way. She's your friend. She even told me she loved you."

"That's true. She does love me, not that it matters anymore. After she thought I was dead, she told me that she loves Miho more...after that, I don't know. I must've blacked out at that time."

"Anyway, just put this bandage on my chest. Judging from the fact that I'm still alive and I've stopped bleeding, she must've missed my vital organs."

Hana did as she was told.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

Text Miho and ask her where she is.

Texting

Hana: Where are you?

Miho: About to go to Yukari's for dinner. Why?

Hana: Oh, just wondering. When are you going, anyway?

Miho: 20:00

Hana: Okay, see you tomorrow.

"She's going to Yukari's house for dinner at 20:00."

"Perfect."

Takashi walked to his bathroom which met with his room to shower. About ten minutes later, he walked back to the room, having changed clothes. He picked up an urn on his shelf with his dad's 'ashes' in it...and broke it.

"What are you doing? Aren't those your dad's ashes?"

"No. It's fake, my dad was buried."

She then realized what was in it: the urn was made to house a pistol inside. He checked the sights, holding it in his left hand due to his shoulder being bandaged. He then loaded it, putting it in his jacket.

"Why do you have that?"

"When my dad died, he had this made for me so I would have one if I needed it when I moved to Japan."

He turned to Hana, looking at her.

"Call Miho. Tell her I'm dead and to come over immediately. We'd better get ready."


	7. Chapter 7: Yukari's Gift

One day earlier...

Yukari sat in her room quietly with a quite pronounced frown, running her hands through her unruly dark hair. She was deep in thought, and began to speak to herself in her mind.

'Damnit! Why am I still thinking about him? I need to take him away from Miho at all costs, even if it means his death. I don't care about him, anyway. I hate him for ruining everything. This would have been easier if he had just died in the practice match like he was supposed to'.

Her expression softened slightly. She knew she was lying to herself. She didn't hate him, it was quite the opposite actually. He was a loyal friend, who did everything she needed him to do to help her and everyone else. She loved him, albeit not as much as she loved Miho.

'No! I can't think of him like that. I need to focus on the plan. I'll poison his food when I bring it to him. First, I'll use something weak, not even strong enough to go to the hospital. Then, when he's at his weakest, I'll use something much stronger. Lastly, I will hook up with Miho in her grief, acting as a shoulder to cry on'.

Yukari got up and walked to the kitchen, preparing the bento. She picked up the poison, tipping the bottle before stopping. She hesitates, setting down the bottle.

'Does he really need to suffer like that?...No, I can make it better for him and my own conscience.'

She got out a vile and mixed the poison with a sleeping pill. She began to pour it again, hesitating for one last time before dumping out the whole thing inside and closing the container.

'I've made my peace. I'm going to murder my friend, for Miho. He'll be fine; he won't suffer'.


	8. Chapter 8: Endgame

Yukari ran home as fast as she could, burning her clothes once she arrived. She then took a shower and applied makeup to conceal her bruises from the fight.

Finally finished cleaning up, Yukari fell on to her bed in exhaustion and into a deep sleep.

Later...

Hana tried calling Miho's phone again...still no answer.

"She must still be at home. It just goes straight to voicemail every time", Hana said.

Takashi then closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall in frustration, resting his head on Hana's shoulder and grasping her hand.

(Back to Yukari)

Yukari woke up later, with Miho arriving shortly thereafter. Yukari decided to make her move. She could use some help... Miho entered and sat at the table.

"Okay, Miho. I don't know how to tell you this...so I'll just say it. Takashi tried to kill me and I need you to help me get rid of him".

Miho's eyes widened. "What?"

"I know he's your boyfriend, but he's got to go. He's probably dead already and his allies from the US are going to be looking for him soon. I told my dad about this and he's ready to help. You don't need to say anything. Just please help me".

Miho said nothing. She simply nodded. However, she was quite sceptical, due to the fact that he had been sick and in obviously no condition to fight, much less kill someone. It was still best to keep this to herself for now.

The three left to go bury...and/or finish off him. They took pistols and shovels to do the job.

A knock was heard on the door. Takashi got up, drawing his nickel-plated P7M7 and approaching the door slowly. His footsteps were heard, as well as the clicking sound of his P7's heel safety. Without warning, Takashi was shot through the lung by Yukari, falling to the floor. Miho and Yukari were standing next to him, on either side of the door. He then raised his .45 cal pistol and fired all seven rounds through the door, with six of them striking Yukari's father, killing him. Yukari kicked the door open, shooting Hana in the leg and Takashi in the chest right before being knocked out by Miho from behind. Takashi with his piercing green eyes, looked up to meet Miho's, and passed out from pain and blood loss...


	9. Chapter 9: New Tanks

While Takashi was gone, his crew of the Tiger I (as well as the Tiger I itself) had to return to the United States as they were only temporary transfers; in other words, he needed a new crew, and this was a perfect opportunity to change up the tanks.

Miho was dealing with some family issues that would take a while, as explaing why her boyfriend was shot and Yukari was put in prison tends to not be a very simple task.

As a result, Takashi was put in command and given free reign over the Tankery team. He ordered a Panther II, a Panzer III, and a Tiger II directly from his estate in America, so the delivery was quite fast. He then rearranged the teams as well to fit them: the entirety of Anteater, Mallard, and Rabbit teams were moved. Duck team (reluctantly) switched to the Panzer III at the request of Takashi, after being finally convinced of the III's superiority through armor, speed, and firepower. Nekota was made Tiger II commander on one condition: that she wears contacts (even if he needed to pay for them) instead of those damned stupid glasses. This was accepted. Ayumi from Rabbit team was moved to replace Yukari as Miho's loader and Azusa from Rabbit team moved to be radio operator of Turtle team while Momo (the worst gunner ever) became the loader and Anzu became both the gunner and commander. Lastly, Karina was moved to become radio operator of Hippo team.

Panther II;

Commander: Takashi

Gunner: Piyotan

Loader: Saki

Driver: Momoga

RO: Yuuki

Tiger II;

Commander: Nekota

Gunner: Nozomi

Loader: Aya

Driver: Moyoko

RO: Midoriko

The girls eventually became proficient in their new duties within a month and were ready for a match. The tanks that were replaced were simply kept for practice and recruitment.


	10. Chapter 10: Elimination Match Part I

One month later...

After that whole incident, Yukari was imprisoned for two counts of attempted murder and since Takashi more or less had diplomatic immunity, was not met with any sorts of charges. Within months, he recovered since he was a fast healer and that the bullet miraculously did not puncture his lung. He returned to tankery so fast, that he hadn't the time to even tell his team what had happened yet.

Takashi stood on top of his Panther with a devilish grin on his face and a glimmer in his Emerald eyes.

He had received (and was wearing) his own uniform, a black, white, and light blue WW1 German Hussar's Uniform bearing a Totenkopf, a flag/patch of his home state in America (Texas), his coat of arms (Aalen, Germany) and Ooarai's logo. His uniform was complete with tall black leather boots and gloves, a German Hussar's sabre and a nickel plated Luger P08 on his belt, and a pair of binoculars wrapped around his neck.

This match looked quite fun...They were facing Chi-Ha-Tan academy, a school led with great enthusiasm, as well as incompetence and rigid (and in his opinion totally pointless) rules of attacking, Pravda, which needs no introduction, and Anzio, one which he held with great respect for, but absolutely no fear for. Ooarai was teamed up with Kuromorimine and Bellwall, both great choices for this. This was an elimination match, one which would take place over several days and was definitely no base match.

Takashi jumped into the tank to retrieve his mapand hand-held radio and signal his driver to continue without him. He left the tank and went to a nearby hilltop, stopping set up his radio and maps over a wooden crate. Perfect spot for reconnaissance.

For the next hour or so, he continued to give directions and target locations over the radio to his team, proving to be quite an asset. He had actually become so distracted by his duties, that he failed to quickly notice that he was being surrounded.

Takashi heard the sound of engines and turned to find a Type 97 and a P40 behind him. He quickly told Kita (a radio operator from Bellwall) that he was about to be captured and threw his radio off of the cliffside before retrieving his electric lighter, lighting the map on fire and kicking the crate and everything else off of the cliff.

Anchovi and Nishi both stepped out of their tanks to capture him. The two commanders, whom he both somewhat dwarfed, stood in front of him smugly, waiting for him to give up. With an annoyed look on his face, Takashi removed his sword and side arm from his belt as the two looked at him with delight.

"You've got me. I surrender".

Takashi saluted his two captors before surrendering his sword and side arm to Anchovy, whom he viewed as the one who was more worthy to recieve his weapons from his surrender. He was brought into the P40 and subsequently handcuffed, blindfolded, and sedated at the request of Katyusha so that he couldn't run away or see where the camp is.

He was brought to a tent and handcuffed to the post in the middle. He woke up around thirty minutes later.

He then, with much difficulty, removed his boot and moved behind him, retrieving a bobby pin from it. He then bent it properly and proceeded to unlock the cuffs and put his boot back on before putting his hands behind his back again.

He looked around and noticed that, for whatever reason, Anchovy left his gun/sword belt inside the tent, probably after helping with something and/or because the blade was too long for her stature and was tripping her up. The latter was more likely the case since there was snow all over the bottom of the scabbard. On the same hook, a great coat was hanging. Anchovy probably borrowed it from somebody much taller than her (most likely Nonna), judging from the snow left on the bottom of it as well. Besides that, there was really nothing else in there, besides a scarf, also on the same hook and a few other assorted camping items including a lantern.

After scanning the tent, he heard the sound of horses, which sounded fairly close. They were probably being used for scouting, as tanks were too loud for such a thing. He thought that it would be a good idea to do that next time. On second thought, maybe not, since he and Saemonza were probably the only two who knew how to ride, anyway.

A few minutes later, Klara entered the room carrying a blanket and a piece of cloth.

"I'm going to move you to the fire but first I-"

Without leaving a single scratch on her, Takashi swept Klara's feet out from under her, catching her with his arm, and applying the sedative to her. He then set her down before wrapping her tightly with the blanket, shifting her into a more comfortable position, and kissing her on the forehead.

Takashi then put his Hussar's hat back on, fastened the strap for it, and moved to the hook, first putting on the great coat, then the scarf, then his gun belt.

Takashi peered through the tent to see that it was dark and most people were asleep, including the student from Anzio sent to guard him. He looked around for horses, spotting a fine paint horse about twenty meters away. He say no one close to him and elected to calmly walk to her, as running would cause unwanted attention. He walked up to the left side of the horse, uniting and mounting it before setting off at a slow trot, once he thought a sentry spotted him, he went into a full gallop, successfully escaping the camp.

This was the easy part in hindsight since he still didn't know where he was. He rode around for hours looking for the camp until he finally saw the light of a camp fire. He nor his mount had the energy to run there and thus slowly dragged themselves along, finally arriving at around midnight. When they got there, his horse lied down and he rolled off of her. Miho and the intirety of Hippo team were sitting around a camp fire not too far away.

Oryou was the first to see them. "Wait. Is- Is that Takashi?"

At that moment, all of the girls rose from their feet and came to the aid of the two. Ceaser helped the horse, leading her to a good place and giving her an apple while Miho and the rest of Hippo team helped the barely-conscious Takashi to Miho's tent at her request.

Takashi slept as if he was dead that night, not waking up or even moving at all until morning.


	11. Chapter 11: Elimination Match Part II

Takashi, Erika, Emi, and Maho were the first ones awake and were thus put in charge of getting their teams awake.

Erika was about to open her mouth to yell when she suddenly stopped and walked over to Takashi and eyed his gun belt, then looking him in the eye.

"May I?"

"Oh, of course."

Erika then awkwardly reached for his holster unbuttoning it and retrieving his Luger. Takashi then gave her a confused look since she could've just asked him to hand it to her.

After admiring the Luger, Erika raised it into the air and fired two shots.

"Alright, lets go! Get up, all of you!"

That seemed to do the trick, since even Mako of all people got up quickly.

Erika then handed his Luger back to him and holstered it. The shot seemed to do the trick, since even Mako was up fast.

Two hours later...

Below the camp, there was a deep valley in which the fighting would occur, as well as steep forest surrounding it. Pravda sent out their medium and heavy tanks to destroy us, as that was really the only way this would work since the cliffs were so high. It was decided that the heavy tanks like the Tiger I's (with the exception of one) and II's as well as two Panther II's and two Panther I's, and the heavy tank destroyers would be at the front, with the Maus, the Jagdtigers, and the Tiger II's at the very front. The middle squadron (B squadron) was to be commanded by Maho, with Erika and Takashi as the vice commanders. In total, B squadron consisted of two Panther I's, two Panther II's, two Tiger I's, two Elefants, three Tiger II's, one Jagdtiger, and the Maus, thirteen tanks in total. The right squadron (C squadron) was to be commanded by Miho, with Erwin as her Vice Commader. C Battalion consisted of three Panther I's, one Jagdpanther, two Panzer II's, one Panzer III, one StuG III, one Panzer IV, three Jagdpanzer IV's, twelve tanks in total. A battalion was to be commanded by Emi, with Anzu as her Vice Commande. In total, A Battalion consisted of one Tiger I, three Panther I's, one Jagdpanther, one Hetzer, two Panzer II's, one Panzer III, three Jagdpanzer IV's, and one T44, thirteen tanks in total. The entire compound team coconsisted of four Panzer II's, three Panzer III's, one StuG III, one Hetzer, one Panzer IV, six Jagdpanzer IV's, eight Panther I's, two Jadgpanthers, two Panther II's, three Tiger I's, two elefants, three Tiger II's, one Jagdtiger, one Maus, and one T44, with a grand total of thirty-eight tanks (5 light tanks (one tank destroyer, 17 medium tanks (9 tank destroyers), 15 heavy tanks ( 4 tank destroyers), and one super-heavy tank.

B squadron was to distract and attempt to gun/pin down as well as draw in the enemy force, drawing their fire while A C squadrons encircle and trap them. Once the encirclement was complete, B squadron would move in to destroy the remaining forces.


	12. Chapter 12: Elimination Match Part III

As the sun crept over the horizon, B squadron, with the house at the very front began to drive down the hill, with A C squadrons already well ahead of them. Just as light hit the Maus, all hell broke loose. The Maus fired first, breaking the relative silence with the loud, deafening roar of its 128mm main gun, followed by its 75mm coax gun, then by the twelve simultaneous 75s and 88s, destroying at least ten enemy tanks, including the only KV-2. In just a few heartbeats, around twenty were fired back, but with little effect. Around five seconds later, another volley of fourteen rounds hit them, laying waste to the battlefield and disabling the JS-2. The heavy tanks simply were not affected by them, as they had armor that couldn't be penetrated at this range. The Maus even took over twenty hits to its frontal armor without a scratch. This however, couldn't be said about their armor, which was penetrated with ease.

In an attempt to get closer, the tanks of Chi-Ha-Tan moved to either side of the valley, only to be almost completely annihilated by A C squadrons after taking heavy fire from B squadron. And so, in typical Chi-Ha-Tan fashion, they decided that they may as well charge while they could.

Within minutes of 'charging' only one of Chi-Ha-Tan's tanks remained, leaving only the remaining medium tanks and Anzio's tankettes.

Once the heavy tanks were within 800m of Pravda and Anzio's tanks and tankettes, the order was given to begin firing on them non-stop and not to allow anything to leave the valley. It was at this time that A C squadrons began their attack, their encirclement complete. While the heavy tanks continued their volleys, the light tanks and the Panzer III's were sent to chase down the tankettes if they escaped.

Twenty minutes later, all was quite, and sun had risen, revealing the tank graveyard in the valley. Only two tankettes, one T-34, and the P40 escaped the encirclement.

While the heavy tanks continued on to secure the enemy camp, leaving the Maus, one Tiger II, and the heavy Tank destroyers to guard their own, all remaing medium and light tanks gave chase to the four escaped tanks and tankettes, finally destroying the last remaining tank (Anchovy's P40) two hours later.


	13. Chapter 13: Reflections

Two days later...

By this time, Miho had halfwal moved in with Takashi at his house. She was there quite often, as well as Anglerfish and Takashi's own crew (and other Ooarai students from time-to-time), although she still maintained her flat and officially lived there. Takashi's house wasn't necessarily a huge house, however, his back yard was definitely quite the opposite; it was around ten acres, a perfect amount of space for his three personal tanks, his Tiger II, his StuG III and his Panther, as well as his horse, Mae. The ten acres included a hill, overlooking a beautiful stream with clear blue water that ran trough a pine forest.

After all that happened over the past months, this was a (much needed) day to relax. Miho was sitting up in bed reading while Takashi, deep in thought, gently leaned on her, resting his head on her bosom (which had grown noticeably larger since the year before, even slightly exceeding Maho's). While Miho held her book in her right hand, her left arm wrapped around him under his left arm, her left hand holding his.

"You know? I'm not sure if you've thought about this, but, since I met you, I've been shot, stabbed, caught on fire, poisoned, and hit with burning metal shrapnel. Oh and I forgot, I've also killed somebody for the first time since then."

"Wow. Uh, no actually, I haven't really thought about it like that. It's actually kinda crazy when you put it like that. It makes me seem like bad luck."

"That may be so. However, I still think you're definitely worth all of that pain and I don't regret anything."

Miho kissed him on the head before gently pushing him to one side, proceeding to carefully run the tips of her fingers over his scars. In a show of trust, he did not move or try to stop her from doing so, nor did he speak at all.

The rest of the day was quite uneventful, since neither had the desire to do much of anything. The next day would be a lot more busy; Takashi would be officially meeting Miho's mother.


	14. Chapter 14: First Impression

Today was an important day; Takashi was going to officially meet Miho's mother, Shiho (the first time that she saw him was when he was unconscious in the hospital after being hit with shrapnel). Shiho and Maho were coming over to his house for dinner at 19:00 and it had to be perfect.

He decided that a great European dish would be perfect for the occasion. While he debated on which one to cook, Miho constantly insisted that he make chicken paprika, a Hungarian meal which he ended up choosing. Since the dish took around five total hours to cook until it is ready to be served, he started at 14:00 so that dinner could be held at 19:00.

Since he could not be distracted and greatly feared making a mistake, he did not allow Miho to enter the kitchen until the noodles were ready to be cooked. Miho put the noodles on the stove when she was called over.

"Miho can you help me with something?", Takashi asked.

"Sure."

Miho walked into the bathroom to see her boyfriend with his shirt off and a straight razor in his hand.

"I don't think I have the steady hand for this, Miho...So I want you to do it. I trust you."

He handed her the razor as she slowly walked up behind him. She put one hand on his toned shoulder and began to shave him with the other. She had a bit of trouble reaching him because of his height (he is now 1.78m (5'10")), but she did a fine job.

"Thank you, Miho."

Soon after putting his uniform on and styling his hair, he heard a knock on the door. Takashi walked to the door and checked the peephole. No one was there. Suspicious. He drew his Browning HI Power and flung the door open to be met with a man lunging at him. Takashi immediately fired and dodged the man's body, firing one more shot into his head when he hit the ground.

Believing there to be only one more assailant, Takashi decided to go outside to pursue him, to find seven more men in his front yard. For the next few seconds, only gunfire could be heard. Hot lead flew around constantly in every direction before one second of sub-machine gun fire put it to an end. When the smoke cleared, the remaining eight men were on the ground and two men entered carrying Takashi entered. She didn't recognize either one. The first was and quite tall, at 1.9m (~6'3") with short, dark brown hair, a lean physique (about 82kg (181lbs)), and green eyes almost identical to Takashi's. The second man was also tall at 1.86m (6'1.25"), though not as much as the first. He was about the same weight and had a strong jaw, short blond hair, and icey blue eyes. Both were handsome and well dressed, and appeared to be in their mid-to-late thirties.

She turned to the first man and asked "Who are you?"

"The name's Bond. James Bond", he said before setting Takashi on the couch.


End file.
